Glass Façades
SHABBIR KANCHWALA Mindspace, Airoli West - Another view of the project
and designers to come up with solutions to this issue. Some of the measures that are adopted to overcome this problem include the use of blinds, fins and sun breakers. Based on the application of usage of glass, the appropriate type of glass to be used in a structure is carefully selected keeping in mind specific factors like applicable load, usage and location of the structure. The design requirements and calculations of the structure also play an important role in determining which type of glass has to be used. The flat glasses are largely utilised as float glasses in facades, while the warm bent glasses are used in exterior railing and façades where a substantial amount of bending is required. The usage of cold bent glasses is limited. Tempered glasses can be used to increase the safety of glass buildings. To further enhance it, the use of laminated glasses is suggested. Solar controlled, single LOWE and double LOWE are recommended to improve the efficiency. However, the point of view on appearance is subjective; it depends on what combination
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of shades of glasses one selects; for instance, currently, neutral and green colours are trending. Looking at the current scenario, there is an availability of chromic glasses, which can change their tint from clear to dark shade in four steps and one can select basis requirements. If we look at photochromic coating, the transition happens due to solar light, which is not controllable. However, an electrochromic coating can be controlled by the user with the help of electricity, while the thermochromic glazing changes owing to gain in temperature or heat. In the Indian market, usage of glass is growing with prominent supplier companies manufacturing performance glass to suit Indian climatic conditions and emerging trends. Architects have become more demanding in getting the required look and aesthetics for modern day structures. The option of unconventional shapes and dimensions only goes further to complement it. Glass has been used extensively, and overall this trend will be a big hit in the coming years in the commercial space.
Senior Vice President, K Raheja Corp
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: An evangelist for the ‘green’ cause, Shabbir Kanchwala spearheads the sustainability initiatives for real estate, hotels and malls of K Raheja Corp for the last eleven years. He also takes care of other key functions such as purchase, contract, project coordination and heading the Goa region’s projects. With close to three decades of real estate expertise, Shabbir has led the green transformation which ranges, green buildings for new developments and existing projects with the Bill Clinton Climate Foundation under their Building Energy Retrofit Programme. Shabbir’s continuous commitment to the cause has led K Raheja Corp to be widely renowned for steering the path in the green building sector with a majority of its residential, hotel, mall and commercial projects being LEED and IGBC Green Gold certified.